Flow diversion is a new approach for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The Woven Endobridge (WEB II, from Sequent Medical) cerebral aneurysm embolization device is an intrasaccular, oblate, braided-wire designed to provide flow disruption at the aneurysm neck-parent artery interface. A new study suggests that early data from the first two patients treated with the device is hopeful.

A study published in August 2011 in the journal Neuroradiologysuggests that the intrasaccular deployment of self-expanding, compliant, cylindrical, high-density, braided metallic mesh constructs could represent a reasonable approach as an endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms.

Investigators Joachim Klisch, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Helios General Hospital, Erfurt, Germany, and colleagues set out to evaluate the acute and short-term performance of the WEB II device regarding the immediacy, degree, and durability of aneurysm occlusion in two patients.

Klisch et al implanted the WEB II device in one patient with an unruptured middle cerebral artery trifurcation aneurysm and in another with an unruptured basilar tip aneurysm. They then graded the degree of intra-aneurysmal flow disruption based on serial digital subtraction aneurysm angiography performed over 30 min immediately following device implantation and at eight weeks. The team also performed immediate and eight-week post-treatment CT and 3-T MRI studies.

The authors wrote in the journal, “Delivery and deployment of the WEB II device was technically straightforward and achieved without complications.” Further, they noted that neither of the two devices required retrieval or repositioning after full deployment and there were no periprocedural thrombembolic or haemorrhagic complications. “In both cases, complete aneurysm occlusion was observed within minutes of device deployment. Short-term angiographic follow-up confirmed stable complete occlusion at eight weeks,” they noted. The authors also recommended in the paper that further clinical studies and long-term follow-up with the device should be pursued.

Tom Wilder, president and CEO of Sequent Medical told NeuroNews, “Sequent Medical is conducting a controlled release of the WEB Aneurysm Embolization system, which bears the CE mark, at a number of selected centres in Europe in order to gain further clinical experience. The company intends to initiate a number of clinical studies during 2012.”